Bobbin control for weft replenishing mechanism



April 13, 1948. v R, a, TURNER 2,439,704

BOBBIN CONTROL FOR WEF'I' REPLENiSHING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 25, 1947 -I V T Patented Apr. 13, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOBBIN CONTROL FOR WEFT REPLENISH- ING MECHANISM Richard G. Turner, Worcester, Mass., .assignor-to Crompton & Knowles Loom Works, Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application February 25, 1947, Serial No. 730,788 Claims. (Cl. 139-251) This invention relates to improvements in con during a weft replenishing operation and the bobbin next above tends by gravity to move toward transfer position prior to as well as after transfer. In the Weaving'of certain types .of weft it is undesirable to have any knots in the weft, since knots produce blemishes in the fabric. In such cases it is customary to wind a bobbin eitheruntil the thread being wound breaks, .or until the supply is exhausted, after which the bobbin is taken from the Winding machine and placed in the loom magazine. If a bobbin in transfer position has only a small amount of weft'wound on it the second bobbin next above will fall against its unwound barrel and lie in the path of the transferrer arm. As the latter descends during a replenishing operation it strikes and damages the weft on the second bobbin. .This damage generally occurs when the second bobbin is fully wound.

It is an important object of the invention to hold the bobbin next above transfer position out of the path ofthe descending transferrer arm by means which later permit it to fall to transfer position.

by the guide means in a .direction away from the tip stop to permit the tip to fall.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein two forms of the invention are set forth,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of part of a weft replenishing mechanism having. the preferred form of my invention applied thereto,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged end view looking in the direction of arrow 2, Fig. 1 showing the bobbin butt end of the magazine, a l

3. is a view similar to Fig. 2 but looking in the direction of arrow .3, Fig. 1, showing the bobbin tip end of the magazine,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detailed section on line 4..4 ofFig'. 2,

It is a further object of the invention to construct the magazine with a stop for the tip of the second bobbin and a recess or the like for its butt. The stop holds the second bobbin out of the path of the transferrer arm when the latter moves downwardly, but after the bobbin in transfer position has been removed from the magazine the second bobbin will then have a slight endwise movement, the butt moving into the recess and Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailed section on line 5-5 of Fi 3,

Fig. 6 is a detailed section on line 66 of Fig. 4,

Fig. 7 is an enlarged diagrammatic planview looking in the direction of arrow 1, Fig. 1, showing two bobbins in the front stack, and

Fig. 8 is a view similar to part of Fig. 7, but showing .a modified construction.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the reserve bobbin magazine M is provided with an inner vertical plate 10 for the butts of the bobbins and an outer plate I l for the tips of the bobbins. Plate I0 is provided with front and back guideways I2 and 13, respectively, for the bobbin butts l4, while the outer plate I l is provided with front and back guideways l 5 and I6, respectively, for the bobbin tips IT.

The bottom of inside plate Ill has pivoted thereto front and back bobbin supports or giveways 20 and 2|, respectively, pivoted as at 22 and held in'normal position by small tension springs 23.

The supports or giveways 20 and 2| have their upper surfaces formed as continuations of the outer parts of the corresponding bobbin guideways l2 and 13 so that bobbins moving down the guidewayswill pass on to the supports. The latter cooperate with a bobbin abutment 25 formed on the plate ID to hold the bottom bobbin of each guideway yieldirigly in transfer position.

The magazine is provided with a transferrer arm 21 having three vertical bobbin engaging members 29, '30 and 3| joined by a horizontal member 32. The member 29 is for engagement with the butt of the bobbin being transferred and the other members 30 and 3| for engagement with the woundmassof wefton the bobbin.

The outer magazine plate H is provided with bobbin tip supports 35 and 36 pivoted as at 31 and held yieldingly in bobbin tip supporting position by springs 38. The bobbin tips move down the guideways or grooves I5 and |6 and the lowest bobbin in each stack is held by the support 35-- 36 corresponding thereto. The magazine is rockable to place the bottom bobbin in either the front or back bobbin stack in transfer position. The matter thus far described is of common construction and may be made as set forth in the aforesaid prior patents.

When a bobbin magazine of the general type already set forth holds bobbins all of which are wound with full supplies of weft there is little or no danger that the transferrer arm when descending will engage the bobbin next above the bobbin in transfer position. When the bobbin in transfer position is wound with a small amount of weft, however, there is danger that the bobbin next above it, if provided with a full supply of weft, will have part at least of its yarn extending into the path of the transferrer arm.

This condition can be understood from Fig. 7, where a bottom bobbin B in transfer position is provided with a small supply of weft W, while a second bobbin B next thereabove has a full supply of weft W. The area T inclosed in dot and dash lines in Fig. 7 represents in plan the path of that part of the transferrer arm which would strike bobbin B in magazines as heretofore made. It is apparent that the right hand part of yarn W would lie, against the barrel of bobbin B and extend into the area T unless provision were made to hold bobbin B away from path of the transferrer arm.

In order to accomplish this latter result by the preferred form of the invention I provide the magazine with a bobbin tip support and a bobbin butt recess as shown in Fig. 7 for each stack of bobbins. Since the stops and recesses arethe same for each stack, a description will be given forbut one stack, namely, the one at the front of the magazine. 5 l V A bobbin tip stop 40 projects into guideway l5 a slight distance to support the tip of bobbin B as shown in Fig. '7 when bobbin B is in transfer position. The butt guideway |2 in inner plate I0 is provided with a recess 42, which extends in a direction away from the stop 40 and is related to the butts of the bottom and second bobbin more or less as shown at the left of Fig. '7.

The second bobbin B when in the full line position shown in Fig. 7 will have its butt supported by the butt of bobbin B, and the upper part of its butt will be opposite wall 44 of guideway I2 above the recess. During a transfer operation the bottom bobbin B is moved down Wardly out of the magazine by the transferrer arm and the butt of bobbin B, no longer supported by the transferred bobbin, falls first into engagement with the transferrer arm whenthe latter is in down position, and then has a further falling motion toward transfer position as the transferrer arm rises.

When bobbin B descends from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 7 its butt moves to a position opposite the upper part of recess 42 and then moves into the recess due to'the fact that the bobbin tip is held up by support 46 and the bobbin is inclined downwardly. The accompanying endwise motion of bobbin B to the dotted line position shown in Fig. '7 results in move-' ment of its tip off stop 40. As soonas the bobbin 4 tip is unsupported the bobbin falls to the transfer position previously occupied by bobbin B.

As already stated, bobbin B cannot always be relied upon to have the slight endwise motion necessary to disengage its tip from stop 40, and in order to insure such movement I provide the supports and 2| with upwardly opening guide grooves which are inclined downwardly and toward the adjacent recess 42. Thus, in Fig. 4 the support 20 is shown as provided with three grooves 48 for engagement with the rings 49 on the butt M of bobbin B.

of its travel without endwise movement to the position indicated by bobbin B in Fig. 'Lafter which the bobbin will shift slightly to the left and then have a reverse shift to the right and come to rest in a final transfer position which is more or less in line with the position occupied by bobbin B in Fig. 7. While the guide grooves 48 are of sufiicient length to makethe bobbin butt move to the dotted line position shown in Fig.7, they are not long enough to interfere with reverse movement of the bobbin to the right as it 7 moves to transfer position.

The modified form' of the invention is illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 8. In this form of the invention I omit the lower half of the previously describedrecess '42 and permit the" bobbin to retain the position which it assumes at the end of its endwise movement without requiring a reverse movement. The inside plate of the magazine 55 has'a bobbin butt engaging guide surface 56 corresponding to surface 44 at the lower end of which is an inclined surface 51 extending downwardly and away from the bobbin butt guideway. Plate 55 has another surface-68 which may be parallel to but offset outwardly from the surface 56 extending downwardly from.

the bottom of surface 51. The surfaces 51 and 58 define a recess 59 having a function similar to that of recess 42.

The outside plate 60 for the tip end'of the bobbins has a stop 6| somewhat similar to'stop 4|]. The plate 60 has a bobbin tipengaging surface 62 above stop 6| and another surface 63 offset to the left below stop 6|. The horizontal distance between surfaces 58 and 63 will be substantially the same as that between surfaces 56 and 62. It may be desirable to form the plate 60 with a curved surface 64 extending downwardly from the stop 6| to the surface 63.

In the operation of the modified form of the invention during a replenishing operation the second bobbin will move endwise so that its tip will slide off the stop 6| as in the preferred form,

but will then move directly down to transfer position without a'reverse endwise movement. It is to be understood that theiendwise move? ments referred to herein are slight and the bobbin butt in transfer position in the modified form of the invention will be in position for engagement with the member 29 of the transferrer arm. The guide grooves 48 may be used with the modified as well as the preferred form'of the invention.

- From the foregoing it will be seen that I have,

provided simplemeans by. which the second bobbin, or the one next above the bobbin in transfer position, is supported out. of the path of the transferrer arm in such manner that after transfer said .DObblH WlILbS acted on by gravity to have-an endwise movement and detach the tip thereof from its support and move to transfer position. The recess 42 permits endwise movement of the bobbin so that. its tip can move of! the stop 40. While in many instances the bobbin can be relied upon to, move, as described herein with the, usual form of bobbin support '20, 21, the grooves .48 give additional assurance that the bobbin will'necessarily have its endwise imovee 'ment when moving toward transfer position. It will be seen that the controls in the preferred form are so constructed that they enable the.

bobbimdue to the action of gravity, first to disengage its tip from the stop by moving endwise in one direction, and then by a reverse movement move to transfer position. In the modified form the reverse movement is omitted. The recesses 42 and 59, while not alike, both permit endwise movement of a bobbin to disengage its tip from a stop or support.

Having thus described my invention it will be seen that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

1. In a weft replenishing loom provided with a reserve bobbin magazine having guideways for the butts and tips of bobbins down which the latter move by gravity to a transfer position, the butt of a bobbin in transfer position supporting the butt of the next bobbin thereabove, a stop in the tip guideway to support the tip of said next bobbin, and the butt guideway having a recess therein below the butt of said next bobbin extending away from the stop, the recess and stop being so related as to cause said next bobbin upon transfer of the first named bobbin to move down around the stop as a center to an inclined position and then longitudinally to move the butt thereof into said recess sufficiently to disengage the tip from the stop, whereupon said second bobbin falls to transfer position.

2. In a magazine for the reserve bobbins of a weft replenishing loom, means on the magazine defining a guideway for the butts of bobbins, other means defining a guideway for the tips of bobbins, the reserve bobbins being movable down said guideway by gravity to a transfer position, a stop in the tip guideway, and the butt guide- Way having a recess therein extending away from said stop, said stop and recess being so related to each other as to cause a bobbin next above a bobbin in transfer position upon removal of the latter bobbin to become tilted by downward movement of the butt thereof while the tip thereof is on said stop and thereafter cause gravity to effect longitudinal movement of the bobbin in a direction to move said butt into the recess and move the tip off said stop.

3. In a reserve bobbin magazine for a weft replenishing loom, means defining a downwardly extending guideway for the butts of bobbins, other means defining a downwardly extending guideway for the tips of bobbins, said magazine arranged to hold a bobbin in transfer position with other bobbins arranged thereabove in said guideways, and control means for the bobbin next above the bobbin in transfer position, said causing the butt of the bobbin to move into said control means including a stopfor the tip, of the bobbin next above the bobbin in transfer position and a recess formed in the butt guideway extending away from said stop and belowthe butt of the bobbin above the bobbin in transfer position, the bobbin in transfer position. when removed from the magazine leaving the butt. of

the bobbin next thereabove unsupported. while the tip thereof is. on said support, said stop and recess due to the force of gravity thereupon recess and the tip thereof to move off said. stop. 4. In a reserve bobbin magazine for a weft replenishing loom, meanscdefining a bobbin butt.

guideway, other means defining a bobbin tip guideway, said magazine capable of supporting one bobbin in transfer position and another bobbin in a second position. above said one bobbin, a stop in the tip guid'eway to engage the tip. of a bobbin in the second position, the butt guideway having a recess therein below the butt of the bobbin in said second position, said stop and recess being so located that a bobbin moving from said second position toward transfer position will have the tip thereof supported by said stop and will have the butt end thereof tilted down to a position opposite said recess, said stop causing gravity to move said butt into said recess sufficiently to disengage the tip from the stop.

5. In a reserve bobbin magazine for a weft replenishing loom, means defining a guideway for .the butts of bobbins, other means defining a guideway for the tips of bobbins, a stop in the tip guideway to support the tip of a bobbin next above a bobbin intransfer position, the butt guideway having a recess therein extending in a direction away from the stop, said stop and recess being so located that a bobbin having the tip thereof on said stop and having the butt thereof opposite said recess is capable of longitudinal movement away from the stop, and guide means causing the butt of a bobbin moving toward transfer position and opposite said recess to move into said recess and move the tip away from said stop.

6. In a reserve bobbin magazine for a loom in which bobbins move downwardly along butt and tip guideway toward a transfer position, a stop in the tip guideway, a recess in the butt guideway extending in a direction away from the stop, and bobbin butt guide means causing a bobbin butt moving therealong to enter said recess and cause longitudinal movement of the bobbin to effect removal of the tip thereof from the stop.

7. In a reserve bobbin magazine having butt and tip guideways down which bobbins move by gravity toward transfer position, a stop for the tip of a bobbin moving downwardly along said guideways, a recess in the butt guideway extending in the direction away from the stop, and bobbin butt guide means arranged along the butt guideway inclined in a direction downwardly and away from said stop and effective to cause the butt of the bobbin moving downwardly therealong to enter said recess and move the tip of the bobbin in a direction away from said stop.

8. In a reserve bobbin magazine for bobbins having tips and butts provided with rings, butt guideway means on the magazine, tip guideway means on the magazinea stop for the tip guideway, the butt guideway having a recess therein extending in a direction away from the stop, and means defining guide grooves extending away from the stop and in the direction of travel of bobbins along the guideways, the rings of the butt guideway having a recess therein extending away from the stop, and atransferrer arm moving along a given path to effect transfer of the bobbin in transfer position out of the magazine, the stop and butt of the bobbin in transfer position prior to transfer holding the second bobbin out of the path of the transferrer arm, the butt of the second bobbin upon removal of the bobbin in transfer position moving downwardly by gravity to cause said second bobbin to become tilted due to engagement of the tip thereof with the '20 stop and move the butt thereof into said recess and the tip thereof oif said stop, said second bobbin thereafter moving to transfer position.

10. In weft replenishing mechanism having a bobbin in transfer position and a second bobbin thereabove, a transfer arm moving downwardly along a given path to transfer the bobbin in transfer position out of the magazine, the second bobbin prior to transfer tending by gravity to move into said path, stop means for the tip of said second bobbin, said stop means and the butt of the bobbin in transfer position prior to transfer cooperating to hold said second bobbin out of said path, and means causing said second bobbin when moving toward transfer position to move the tip thereof away from said stop to enable said second bobbin to move to transfer position.

RICHARD G. TURNER. 

